Hinduism is also known as "Sanatana Dharma" to Hindus. In Sanskrit, the original language of India, 'Sanatana' means Everlasting and 'Dharma', by a crude translation, means Religion. The Everlasting Religion, Hinduism was founded, exists and flourishes in India.

What is Hinduism? Is it a religion or is it a culture? The truth is - it is both a religion and a way of life. India gave to the world the original, oldest and most profound philosophy of life. The brilliant ancestors of present-day indians explored the Truth behind our existence and gave several philosophies and theories to define the Truth. At the same time, they created a set of rules for "good living" on this earth. The philosophical concepts that Indians gave to mankind are eternal and constitute no religion by themselves. However, the rules for good or "Dharmic" living that they laid down constitute the Hindu religion. This article will refer to "Hinduism" for both the philosophy and the religion, for purposes of simplicity.

Sanatana Dharma does not have a starting point in history, does not have a founder, and has no Church. The sages who shaped the Hindu religion merely reiterated the teachings of the Vedas, the Hindu scriptures (most of which is unwritten). The Vedas are believed to have no origin. In ancient India, the Vedas formed the educational system and broadly comprised all the different spheres of life, such as spiritual, scientific, medical and so on.

I know not much people will be intrested to discuss about Hinduism because not many people know what it is all about. I shapp post in snippets to the best of my ability, so that if someone is intrested, they can get some insights!

Essence of Hindu SpiritualityNot going into the different sects which are there in Hinduism, but trying to analyze it from a principles point of view.

Universality: This is the first principle in Hinduism. Whether in science or in religion, any theory is considered good only if it is applicable universally. The presence of anomalies makes any theory incomplete. So Hinduism does not give any exclusive privileges to anyone. If it is possible for one to see God, it should be possible for all to see God. If one can be a son of God, any other person also should have the potential to be son of God. If Meera saw Krishna, I too should have the potential to see Krishna.(potential- meaning- may not be at the present time, but surely has a chance, provided he is determined).

Cause & Effect: Every action is a result of another action. Every result has a cause. So this principle is that if something happens, its not just that it generally happened, but happened due to a cause. Suppose if water is formed, it has not come into existence from no where, but has formed due to the presence of H, O and also some other conscious entity bringing them close. This principle results in what is called "Law of Karma".

Anubhuti: This is also the main idea in the Hinduism. It means experience/knowledge. The idea is that to know the reality, we ourselves should experience it, and not on some others experience. I cannot understand the God, until I myself experience it. A person who has seen a horse is trying to tell how a horse will be. But if I have never seen horse myself, my understanding of horse will not be complete, and I may even start to think of horse as donkey, coz I have only seen a donkey.

Now the whole of Hinduism can be divided into four approaches.

1. Jnana Yoga, The yoga of Knowledge. The philosopher, the thinker, who wants to go beyond what is visible, and understand the Reality.

2. Karma Yoga, the yoga of Action. Working in a unattached manner. Serving others, helping the poor etc.

3. Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of devotion. Faith and belief also may be a part of it, but the most essential part of this is unconditional love. Loving God, without expecting any results, just for the sake of love, like a mother loves her child etc.

4. Raja Yoga, the yoga of psychic control. Controlling the internal nature and the mind through practices like Meditation etc.

Whatever sect of Hinduism you take, it will be a combination of these four aspects. Only the proportions may vary. One can now easily see that due to this reason, sects are not seen as something problematic in Hinduism. Each person may have a different nature. One may be more emotional, another may be intellectual, some other hard working. So the respective aspects also should be in accordance to his internal nature. Only one has to be only careful about sectarianism.. thinking that he alone is unique, and others inferior. That’s why you can see that one personal may be a totally reasoning type, questioning even the existence of God, and another may be a totally devoted person, not bothered about any of the philosophies, and still both these extremes will live without any problem in Hinduism.

Now the next question is all these four yogas are entirely different, how can they be explained. Yes at a surface level, they are different. But if you see deeper, there is one element which is common to all of these: "The Idea of Freedom". Moksha, this is the Goal of every human knowingly or unknowingly.

1. Jnana Yoga, The yoga of Knowledge. The philosopher, the thinker, who wants to go beyond what is visible, and understand the Reality.

2. Karma Yoga, the yoga of Action. Working in a unattached manner. Serving others, helping the poor etc.

3. Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of devotion. Faith and belief also may be a part of it, but the most essential part of this is unconditional love. Loving God, without expecting any results, just for the sake of love, like a mother loves her child etc.

4. Raja Yoga, the yoga of psychic control. Controlling the internal nature and the mind through practices like Meditation etc.

I think that the world would be a much better place if everyone were to live their lives around these four approaches. Please share more when you can.

Interests:Energy healing, vibrational levels, spirit contact, healing with crystals, etc... Hubby and I own a bar/ restaurant which brings me lots of ppl to study.

Posted 23 October 2006 - 06:44 AM

I have always had a fascination with taoism, but in so many ways it is hard to incorporate taoism into modern life. Hinduism seems to me the perfect balance. I have not been able to put a label on why religious beliefs for a couple of years now, because I had not been able to seperate, in my mind, some of the differences that all seem to have merit.

Thank you for taking the time to explain the core issues of Hinduism. The 10 commitments seem to match exactly the principles that I adopted for my every day life.

Om or Aum has been seen as the first manifestation of the unmanifest Brahman (the single Divine Ground / Universal Energy) that resulted in the phenomenal universe. Essentially, all the cosmos stems from the vibration of the sound 'Om'. Indeed, so sacred is it that it is prefixed and suffixed to all Hindu mantras and incantations. It is undoubtedly the most representative symbol of Hinduism. This syllable has no initial consonant. It is frequently used to represent three subsumed into one, a common theme in Hinduism. It implies that our current existence is mithya, or 'slightly lesser reality,' that in order to know the full truth we must comprehend beyond the body and intellect and intuit the true nature of infinity, of a Divine Ground that is immanent but also transcends all duality, being and non-being, that cannot be described in words. Within this metaphysical symbolism, the three are represented by the lower curve, upper curve and tail of the ॐ subsumed into the ultimate One, represented by the little crescent moon-shape and dot, known as chandrabindu. Essentially, upon moksha, mukti, samadhi, nirvana, liberation, etc. one is able not only to see or know existence for what it is, but to become it. In attaining truth one simply realizes fundamental unity; it is not the joining together of a prior manifold splitting. When one gains true knowledge, there is no split between knower and known: one becomes knowledge/consciousness itself. In essence, Om is the signifier of the ultimate truth that all is one.

The swastika (from Sanskrit svastika, from su "well", and asti "being", thus "good fortune" or "well-being") is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles in either left-facing or right-facing direction. The earliest swastika symbols of the archaeological record date to the Neolithic age of the 5th millennium BC. It delineates a formation on the north face of Mount Kailash the pyramidal peak in Western Tibet not far from the Nepalese border that is viewed as the center of the earth by Hindus. Pilgrims recognize in it the universal symbol of prosperity, auspiciousness, and renewal. The four arms of the cross also stand for the four rivers that flow from Lake Mansarovar, the holy lake at the base of Kailash: the Indus, the Sutlej, the Brahmaputra and the Karnali. Their waters fertilize the land in several countries of the region, so though the sublime mountain is in one of the most desolate places on earth, it can be seen as the source of all-good. Hence the swastika is a life-giving mark which also stands for the union of opposites.

for the cause and effect part. what if we do something with the intention of doing good but it turns out bad. are we *punished* for this in next life? i like ten commitments too. tehy seem complete more so than ten commandments. are there books to read that you recomend to learn more?

There is no punishment per se, we get results of what we did, it is that simple. But these so-called Karmic Debt can be overcome by freewill, when we understand the cause factor and surrender ourselves with the intention of serving the Supreme Being, which actually is Karma without any bondage.

As for the books, I shall surely get some links which could be easily interpreted by common people like me. Most scriptures are in Sanskrit, if at all I find some good understandable transalations, I shall post the link here.

While browsing the web I came across a scanned version of a book. I found it to be a very good presentation of Hinduism which covers all the basic points and more, giving ample quotes from scriptures. It's certainly not a modern book - something which I find gives it a refreshing degree of seriousness.

Dharma and KarmaTwo concepts on which Hinduism is completely based upon are Dharma and Karma.

Here is what Dharma is all about.

Dharma is the path of righteousness and living one's life according to the codes of conduct. Dharma means "that which holds" the people of this world and the whole creation. Hinduism describes dharma as the natural universal laws whose observance enables humans to be contented and happy, and to save himself from degradation and suffering. Dharma is the moral law combined with spiritual discipline that guides one's life. Hindus consider Dharma the very foundation of life. The Atharva Veda describes Dharma symbolically: Prithivim dharmana dhritam, that is, "this world is upheld by dharma".

Hinduism accepts the concept of reincarnation, and what determines the state of an individual in the next existence is Karma which refers to the actions undertaken by the body and the mind. In order to achieve good Karma it is important to live life according to Dharma, what is right. This involves doing what is right for the individual, the family, the class or caste and also for the universe itself.

Dharma is like a cosmic norm and if one goes against the norm it can result in bad karma. So, Dharma affects the future according to the karma accumulated. Therefore one's Dharmic path in the next life is the one necessary to bring to fruition all the results of past Karma.

The term Dharma can best be explained as the "law of being" without which things cannot exist, just as the essential factor in human being is life - the Atman (Soul) without which one cannot exist. Therefore the Dharma of human being is Atman. And hence any good Atmic quality is Dharmic. Dharma therefore implies duty - a course of conduct.

Anything that helps human being to reach God is Dharma and anything that hinders human being from reaching god is adharma.

The essence of Dharma lies in possessing a certain ability, power and spiritual strength. Vedic Dharma is truthful because its basis is the unique combination of spiritual brilliance and physical prowess.

Hindu saints have classified all human aspirations under four broad categories: Dharma, Kama (desire), Artha (money) and Moksha (liberation from the cycle of birth and death). The practice of Dharma gives an experience of peace, joy, strength and tranquillity within one's self and makes life disciplined. Of these four values the majority of human beings pursue Artha and Kama, and the more sensitive individual pursue Dharma, while very few are conscious if the Moksha - ideal spiritual aspiration.

According to the Bhagavat Purana, righteous living or life on a Dharmic path has four aspects: austerity (tap), purity (shauch), compassion (daya) and truthfulness (satya); and adharmic or unrighteous life has three vices: pride (ahankar), contact (sangh), and intoxication (madya).

Manusmriti written by the ancient sage Manu, prescribes 10 essential rules for the observance of dharma: Patience (dhriti), forgiveness (kshama), piety or self control (dama), honesty (asteya), sanctity (shauch), control of senses (indraiya-nigrah), reason (dhi), knowledge or learning (vidya), truthfulness (satya) and absence of anger (krodha). Manu further writes, "Non-violence, truth, non-coveting, purity of body and mind, control of senses are the essence of Dharma". Therefore Dharmic laws govern not only the individual but all in society.

The purpose of Dharma is not only to attain a union of the soul with the supreme reality, it also suggests a code of conduct that is intended to secure both worldly joys and supreme happiness. Rishi Kanda has defined Dharma in Vaisesika as "that confers worldly joys and leads to supreme happiness". Hinduism is the religion that suggests methods for the attainment of the highest ideal and eternal bliss here and now on earth and not somewhere in heaven.